There’s no doubt about it: the modern-day interior designer is required to produce his/her designs at a much faster pace than ever before. Advancements in digital, online and smartphone technology mean we have instant access to a vast amount of information and services. This has resulted in a dramatic shift in client expectations within many service-based industries including interior design.
The sharp rise in online interior design services in the last five years alone demonstrates the increasing demand for a service that fully utilises the convenience of a digital platform, while at the same time transitioning this one-time exclusive service into a global, accessible and more affordable offering. Combined with the startup business culture, where interior design graduates, bloggers, influencers, and mid-life career changers are opting to ‘dream big’ and start a new entrepreneurial life, competition between small interior design businesses is higher than ever.
Equipping yourself with the right design tools that can flex and adapt to meet your needs, whilst still ensuring a high level of accuracy, is one of the most important things you can do as an interior designer in today’s time-conscious landscape. Everyone - clients, contractors, and tradesmen - want everything yesterday.
Interior design tools must be able to support the entire creative process; from space planning and creating 2D technical floor plans to the construction of high-quality 3D models and effective photo-real renders for client presentations.
Software for interior designers: floor plans
Whilst SketchUp is predominantly positioned as a 3D modelling software application, it is more than capable of producing accurate and professional floor plans using a variety of styles depending on specific design needs. For example, a simple black and white technical floor plan can be produced to meet a looming deadline, but can still include an air of professionalism with a border, title block, and key. Adding on to that, designers can customise their floor plans with different line weights, annotations, and dimensions, demonstrating adherence to technical drawing conventions.
